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Friday, February 12, 2010

**Giveaway ALERT!A comment on this post (within 7 days of post date) gets you 5 extra entries in our MegaBook Giveaway. If you haven't entered yet, go to the contest post(or click on the contest link on the upper right sidebar) to enter! Good luck!

Iceby Sarah Beth Durstpub: Oct 2009320 pages

Synopsis:When Cassie was a little girl, her grandmother told her a fairy tale about her mother, who made a deal with the Polar Bear King and was swept away to the ends of the earth. Now that Cassie is older, she knows the story was a nice way of saying her mother had died. Cassie lives with her father at an Arctic research station, is determined to become a scientist, and has no time for make-believe.

Then, on her eighteenth birthday, Cassie comes face-to-face with a polar bear who speaks to her. He tells her that her mother is alive, imprisoned at the ends of the earth. And he can bring her back -- if Cassie will agree to be his bride.

That is the beginning of Cassie's own real-life fairy tale, one that sends her on an unbelievable journey across the brutal Arctic, through the Canadian boreal forest, and on the back of the North Wind to the land east of the sun and west of the moon. Before it is over, the world she knows will be swept away, and everything she holds dear will be taken from her -- until she discovers the true meaning of love and family in the magical realm of Ice.

My Review:Ice is a fun sweet fairy tale that had me smiling. Cassie is a strong young woman who grew up in the Arctic researching wildlife and chasing polar bears. She thinks her mother is dead but finds out that the stories her grandmother told her as a child are true.

Cassie's mother was the daughter of the North wind who disobeyed her father by not marrying the polar bear king and, instead, ran off with the human she loved, Cassie's father. The jilted king actually helps her escape because he makes a bargain that her daughter, Cassie, will be the king's bride. But the North wind eventually found his daughter, took her from her husband and daughter and sent her to remain prisoner in the troll castle.

Cassie's life is turned upside down by this revelation, she's a scientist after all, but she agrees to be the polar bear king's bride if he will rescue her mother. The deal is done and Cassie is now living in a magical ice castle with a polar bear who can also turn human.

I'm not giving anything away because all this happens in the first pages. The real story is the growing relationship between Cassie and Bear, her coming to terms with her new life, and then deciding what direction she wants to go with her future... and making it happen when things get in her way.

Cassie is strong and dedicated. And once she makes a decision, this girl does whatever it takes to protect the ones she loves and get what she wants.

This is more fairy tale than urban fantasy but I liked it. The relationships were real (as much as they can be when our protagonist is married to a bear) and the writing created a beautiful and fascinating world.

Durst does an excellent job of bringing the Arctic to life with her vivid description. I needed a sweater while I was reading this. And funny enough we had a snow storm going on at the time. Talk about atmosphere!

I will say that the quest in the second part of the book went a bit long for me but I foraged through and enjoyed the ending.

Love, family, commitment, independent thought, and sacrifice are all covered. There is also a big conservation and love of nature theme going on, as well as the idea that we are all connected and responsible for the care and respect for all living things. Ice even delves into spirituality.

The sex in Ice is handled discreetly and happens once the married couple has built their relationship. Birth control is also discussed but again it was tastefully done and could make for good conversation between adults and teens.

But all these heavy themes are not heavy handed. At it's core, Ice is a love story where true love conquers and the couple act as partners united in their commitment to each other and common goals. It's a wonderful fairy tale that you can choose to enjoy at face value or let provoke deeper avenues of thought.

Plentiful magic, fast pace (especially in the first half) and engaging characters make Ice a delight.

The Cover: I like it. The polar bear is adorable and the colors give you a sense of the chilly Arctic.

First Lines:Cassie killed the snowmobile engine. Total silence her favorite sound. Ice crystal spun in the Arctic air. Sparkling in the predawn light, they looked like diamond dust. Beneath the ice-encrusted face mask, she smiled. She loved this; just her, the ice and the bear.

This worked for me. She's strong, capable, independent and I want to know what happens with the bear!

ICE is good enough that we might add it to the MegaBook Giveaway list if we keep adding followers so check for updates! It would be a great addition to the already top notch list of books. We hope you enter!

If you have your own review of ICE please link it below! We'd love to hear your thoughts!

The book kind of reminds me of an updated Beauty and the Beast. I like it! And the cover is stunning the girl looks like an ice princess and the bear seems cute. And I love that the sex and everything is subtly done it's nice to see a book that doesn't engross sex yet doesn't shy away from it either!

Thanks for the heads up on what looks like a very lovely reading experience. Good to see a review on a book and author new to me, thanks Alyssa for the non-spoiler review as well.Also the extra points for the giveaway are helpful too.

This was a great review! I have seen this book on numerous sites over the past few months but I have never actually read what the book was about! I think this sounds really original and interesting! Maybe I will win it... fingers crossed!!

I have been intrigued by this book, partly because I have always had a strange fascination for polar bears. When I was 10, they were my whole world. I had about five different polar bear stuffed animals, I read everything I could about them, and I did my 5th grade report on them. That was 31 years ago, but I still adore them and this cover has enchanted me. The book almost sounds like a retooling of the Beauty and the Beast tale. It sounds like a good read. Thanks for the great review!

I remember seeing this cover and thinking it was wonderful. Glad to hear that the book itself is also good, the premise sounds like fun and rather unique. Very suited for this season too.. or maybe I'd read it during the hot summer when I'd be missing snow. :)

I loved loved loved this book! If you didn't get that, then let me just repeat: I loved this book! There's just something about journey books that I adore. Maybe it's the adventure and the peril of it all that appeals to me. Or maybe it's because I love seeing what people will go through for the ones they love. Whatever it is, it's safe to say that I adored this book. Great review! Glad you liked it.

I've got to get my hands on this one! It sounds unique and interesting, almost like what you'd get if you smashed Eskimo myths with Beauty and the Beast. :) It's also reminding me of the second book in the Pellinor series, when Maerad is in the ice castle for several chapters.

I have this one on my TBR pile, but I haven't been able to get a copy yet so I hope it gets added to the giveaway! I'm reading sun, Moon, Ice and Snow by Jessica Day George right now and it is also a retelling.

Awesome review, Alyssa! I really loved Ice, it was real sweet! I, too, remember the second part of the book dragging on a wee bit, going from place to place, but I still really enjoyed it overall. Thanks for the review!

thanks for this review!! i sooo want to read this book! i've seen it around but i dismissed it because i don't like the cover for some reason. i didn't even bother reading any reviews about it. but i really like the east of the sun, west of the moon fairy tale and i've enjoyed many retelling to that story and this book sounds really good!

I read this over Christmas and I loved it, too. It is the perfect book for the cold season.I agree that the quest/journey part dragged on a little, nevertheless I really enjoyed this book and the cover is gorgeous.